Ryan Gosling in a spaceship in Project Hail Mary
Ryan Gosling is about to launch into space with Amazon MGM's highly anticipated sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary. It marks the star's return to the cosmos after tackling sci-fi with Blade Runner 2049 and a space biopic in First Man.
But his latest is a full-scale crowd-pleasing blockbuster, with a reported $150 million budget backing the vision from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Thanks to the excitement generated by Project Hail Mary's trailers, the space drama/action/comedy looks to be one of the year's biggest hits. It's the start of 2026's hyped sci-fi movie lineup that features filmmakers who have made masterpieces in this sphere returning to the genre. And while Lord and Miller haven't done that yet, there's another sci-fi movie that everyone should check out before seeing Project Hail Mary thanks to another connection. The Martian Is An Andy Weir Novel Adaptation, Just Like Project Hail Mary Released in 2015, The Martian was directed by Ridley Scott and starred Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a botanist who gets left behind by NASA on Mars after presumably dying during a storm. When he wakes up and finds himself alone, he takes it upon himself to re-establish a base to live, grow food, and get in contact with humanity to mount his rescue mission. Thanks to Scott's direction, Damon's performance, and how Drew Goddard adapted Andy Weir's book, The Martian, currently streaming on Paramount+, became a modern sci-fi masterpiece. It currently sits at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics and audiences alike. The film also proved to be a huge hit with moviegoers, as it made $630 million worldwide. Hollywood took notice and wanted more. Weir has a few other novels, with Lord and Miller even developing his Artemis book as a movie in the years after The Martian's release. But they then pivoted to Project Hail Mary in 2020, before the future award-winning and best-selling novel was even published. Now they're hoping a Weir book-to-movie adaptation that's more similar to The Martian will lead to another hit. Both books/movies revolve around lone human protagonists stuck in space and have an epic but comedic tone to them. And while most of the creative partners on Project Hail Mary differs from The Martian, the new film did recruit Goddard to write this screenplay too after his wonderful work bringing Weir's writing to life before. Subscribe to our newsletter for insider sci-fi film takes Discover clearer context for sci-fi hits, subscribe to our newsletter for concise breakdowns of films like Project Hail Mary and The Martian, filmmaker connections, and curated viewing suggestions alongside broader film coverage. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Those connections and similarities mean The Martian will give anyone a taste of what is coming with Project Hail Mary. Whether or not you've read the book that Gosling's upcoming sci-fi movie is based on, there's no better time to discover or revisit a recent masterpiece in the genre. Project Hail Mary Like Follow Followed Not Yet Rated Science Fiction Adventure Drama Release Date March 20, 2026 Runtime 156 Minutes Director Christopher Miller, Phil Lord Cast See All Writers Drew Goddard, Andy Weir Producers Patricia Whitcher, Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, Ken Kao, Aditya Sood, Will Allegra Powered by Expand Collapse
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